Black, White, and A Thousand Shades of Grey
by MrsBreezyBlack
Summary: What happens when Sirius Black falls for his best friend, Ashley White, who is twice as messed up as he is? Well, he finally knows how it is to be the one toyed with. This is a tale of laughs, friendship, romance, and drama. SBOC, JPLE, RLOC
1. A Hell of a Kiss

**Summary:** What happens when two completely romantically challenged people fall for one another after years of friendship? Yeah, utter chaos. This is the tale of Sirius Black and Ashley White, two very unconventional teenagers, and how they develop over the years. The story begins during their fifth year, and will probably end sometime after their seventh.

**Okay, so after a year or so of not writing a single word, I've decided to begin writing again. So read it, and let me know if you love it. If you hate it, then just keep it to yourself. Nah, I'm kidding, let me know if you hate it, too, and I'll try to do anything I can to fix it. Enjoy the story, and please review. **

**A Hell of a Kiss**

There was something changing. The weather, for one, had been foggy and cold for months on end, and it wasn't even September yet. And there was a dreadful depression in the air. Something was definitely off. Of course, those working at the Ministry, or anyone of any high ranking in the Wizarding World, knew precisely what was going on. The Dark Lord was rising to power, and the death toll was higher than it had been in a century. Muggles everywhere were being tortured and viciously murdered. The Minister of Magic, Vaspera Bagshawe, was great at her job, but even she didn't stand a chance against Lord Voldemort. Nobody did.

Ashley White had always been an incredibly powerful girl. Her Aunt Vaspera had always said she could easily proceed her as Minister of Magic someday, not that such a thing appealed to Ashley much. Ashley had always seen herself as an auror, seeing as she had a love for danger and combat. She was never truly happy unless she was off somewhere saving the day. She had always had a thirst for adventure.

You could say it was in her blood. After all, both her parents, two of her Uncles, one of her Aunts, and her eldest brother were aurors. Ashley had always been incredibly smart. In fact, she may just be the smartest girl in her year. Right up there with Lily Evans, of course. As sweet and kind as she could be most of the time, she could be equally mean and rude when it came to those she didn't like, or if she was joking around, which was what she did most of the time. Ashley had a repuation for her sarcasm and sense of humor. Well, it's no doubt she has a sense of humor, always hanging around those Marauders! But how could she not? For her entire life, one of them had lived in the manor right next door.

It was an afternoon in mid-August and Ashley White sat at her desk, writing a letter to her friend, Lily Evans, who would be coming to stay for the last two weeks of the summer holidays. "Hey," came a familiar voice from the window. Ashley didn't even bother turning her head.

"I have a front door, James," Ashley rolled her eyes, "You'd think after fifteen years you'd have found it by now."

"Oh honestly, Ashley. You of all people know I'm never very quick to pick up on things," James joked.

"The guy makes a good point," said another voice and this time, Ashley spun around at the speed of lightning.

"Sirius!" she cried, springing from her desk and running across the large bedroom, giving the tall boy a hug.

"I'm not going to pretend that didn't hurt," James said with mock-hurt, folding his arms and collapsing onto Ashley's bed, "I guess you like him more than me."

"You know I love both of you gits equally," Ashley said, hitting James over the head.

"You sure know how to kick a guy when he's down," James pouted.

"Oh, give it a rest, will you?" Ashley laughed.

"So, when's Lily arriving?" James couldn't help but ask.

Ashley sighed, "Tomorrow afternoon. Really, James, leave the girl alone, okay?"

"You say that every summer," James reminded her.

"Because you never listen!" Ashley said hotly.

"I can't help it!" James burst out, "I honestly can't! Believe me, I've tried."

"You have to try harder," Ashley advised him, "Or you two will _never_ happen, and you'll die alone."

"Gee, I'm sure glad I have you to comfort me in my time of need. I don't know what I'd possibly do without you," James sighed, "I know I have to try harder though. I know I do. I really hate that she hates me."

"Then don't make her hate you, mate," Sirius shrugged.

"Sirius Black, you're the last person to be giving out any type of love advice," Ashley snapped at him.

"How can you say that?" Sirius asked, outraged, "I make more love than everyone at Hogwarts put together!"

Ashley rolled her eyes and ignored her old friend, "You know, my sister and her boyfriend started off like you and Lily."

James seemed to perk up at this, "They've been together for a year now, right?"

"Right," Ashley said, glad she had lifted his spirits a bit.

"Ashley? Did you eat the last cauldron cake?" Samantha White asked, entering the room.

"Aw, PMS got you down, sis?" Ashley joked.

Samantha made a face as if she had just sucked on a lemon, "Very funny. Did you or didn't you?"

"Didn't," Ashley responded, and Samantha was about leave, when Ashley said, "Wait a moment."

Samantha spun around, "What's up?"

"James needs some comforting. Tell him how big an ass Andrew was before you started going out."

At the mention of this, Samantha immediately collapsed into a big circular chair in the room, happy to talk about her life, "A huge bloody ass. He was the most obnoxious, arrogant little prick I had ever known. But I guess somewhere deep, deep inside of me I didn't hate him at all. Maybe I just didn't want to be another swooning girl. Actually, you know what it was that made me go out with him? When he stopped asking me out. That really did it. It drove me mad. And then it drove me even more mad because I was driven mad. If that makes sense. After that, I was pretty much puddy in his hands."

"Really?" James said thoughtfully, "Hmmm..."

"Well, if you'll excuse me," Samantha stood up, "I've got a White sibling to destroy."

"Is your Uncle Cash gunna be dropping by at all?" James said hopefully. Ashley was from a very well-connected family. One of her Aunts was Minister of Magic, another Aunt played for the Holyhead Harpies, an Uncle who played for the Ballycastle Bats, an Uncle who was a famous broom designer, an Aunt who was a well-known writer, and half a dozen Aurors. No wonder Slughorn loved her so much.

"How are you related to him again?" Sirius asked.

"He's my mom's sister's husband's brother, so my Uncle's brother, which I guess makes him my Uncle, or Uncle-in-Law," Ashley shrugged.

"Wicked," James and Sirius said in unison.

"Is Remus finally gunna come by this summer?" Ashley asked James.

"No," James frowned, "You know he likes to stay with his mother during the holidays. I extend the invitation year after year, but I guess I can't blame him. I'd want to spend as much time as possible with my mother, too, if she were that ill."

The next morning Ashley arose at 10:28 a.m. She took a shower and dressed in faded, ripped jeans and a white t-shirt. She pulled her blonde hair up into a pony-tail and put on some make-up. By the time she was finished, it was 11:45 and Lily, along with three of their other friends would be arriving in about fifteen minutes.

Ashley lived in a huge house. There was a kitchen, a dining room, the sitting room, the parlor, the conservatory, the library, the study, six bathrooms, and seven bedrooms. Then, there was the Guest Tower. A whole tower on the East Wing of the house was created by magic for guests. Seeing as people were staying with the White's frequently. Every floor was sort of its own hotel. There were two bedrooms connected by a bathroom. It had about seven floors, and on the roof of the tower, was the most beautiful view of the ocean you could ever imagine.

Ashley's siblings' friends were arriving as well today. Ashley's father, Elias White, had gone off to fetch Lily himself, since she was the only muggle-born of the kids. At 12 on the dot, Katrina Colebrooke arrived through the fireplace. "Kat!" Ashley grinned, giving her friend a hug.

"Hey!" Katrina said, hugging her back and smiling, "Am I the first to arrive?"

"No, everyone else is just under an invisibility cloak," Ashley said smartly.

"That's a new record," Katrina said impressedly, "Six seconds and the first sarcastic remark has already come out."

"Where's Mitchie?" Ashley asked.

Katrina rolled her eyes, "Doing her hair." But after a few more minutes of talking, Amanda Mitchell, Katrina's little cousin, arrived at the manor.

Katrina was a fellow fifth year Gryffindor. She had long brown hair with the occassional blonde highlight and pale bluish green eyes. She was the tallest in their group of friends. Katrina was a very light-hearted care-free kind of person. She never really let things get to her and she was almost always in a good mood. Somehow, the girl could see the bright side in nearly any situation. Her cousin, known to the group mainly as Mandy or Mitchie, was the exact opposite in personality. She was a pretty big pessimist, and always had somethng to complain about. You'd think this to be annoying, but surprisingly, Amanda was quite easy to get along with, and everyone seemed to like her. Amanda had dirty blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and tanned skin. She always looked as if she were glowing.

The girls sat on the couch in the parlor for a few more minutes, talking about their summers, when the fire turned green again and two girls stepped out one at a time. The first, tall with light brown hair, hazel eyes, and bronzed skin. Her most distinguishing feature were her thick, full bloodred lips. Dark lipstick had always been her trademark. The next girl had a face that wasn't unlike that of a porcelain doll's. Her eyes were extremely similar to the first girl's, but the similarities ended there. She had thin, tight-looking lips and was much paler than the first girl.

Everybody hugged and said their hellos. "Sam! Saoirse's here!" Ashley called upstairs to her sisters. Saorise Darby was seventeen, and going into her seventh year at Hogwarts along with her best friend, Samantha. Saoirse's little sister, Shiloh, was about to go into her fifth year, as Ashley, Katrina, and Lily were.

Samantha and Megan both came bounding down the sitting room staircase and ran to say hello to everyone. Just then, a gorgeous woman in her mid-fourties entered the parlor, wearing a long red skirt and a black blouse. "Hi, girls," she said, happily giving each a hug.

"Hi, Mrs. White," they chorused.

Serena White pointed her wand at the trunks that accompanied the girls and one by one they soared through the air, into the hallway, and vanished from sight. "Who else is coming again?" Serena looked at Ashley, Samantha, and Megan.

"Uh, Lily should be here with dad soon and Mischa's never been on time for anything in her life. The girl was eight and a half days late for her own birth," Ashley answered.

"It's just Mandy for me," Megan told her mother, "Sienna's parents want her home for the holiday and Kayce's on vacation in Greece."

Just then the fire turned green again and out came Elias White and Lily Evans, "Lily!" the girls shouted, ambushing her with hugs.

"Hey," Lily said happily, "Hi, Mrs. White."

"Hi, dear. Ah, let me get that for you," Serena pointed her wand at Lily's luggage and it zoomed out of the room as the others had.

"Thanks," Lily said, looking around at everyone, and Ashley could tell she noticed Mischa had yet to arrive.

"I know, Mischa's late. We were all in a deep shock," Ashley joked.

As if on cue, there was a noise, and in the distance, a voice could be heard saying, "Hello? Ashley? Mr. and Mrs. White? Anyone home?"

"Where is she?" Shiloh asked, looking around.

Ashley turned around and walked out of the room and across the hall, "Oh, there you are," Mischa said, running over and hugging her friend.

"Yeah, everyone came from the parlor," Ashley informed her.

"Oh! I wasn't sure if it was the sitting room or the parlor. You guys really do have too many rooms in this house."

Ashley smiled and led her friend back into the parlor, where everyone said hello to her, and her bags were magicked away. "Okay, girls, why don't you head over to the Guest Tower and unpack while I whip up some lunch?"

The girls agreed and walked down the large hallway, passing the library, the kitchen, and the conservatory to get to the entrance of the tower.

"So, who's bunking with who?" Saoirse asked.

"Uh, Mitchie and Katrina are on the first floor, Saoirse and Shiloh on the second, and Lily and Mischa on the third," Megan answered. The girls continued talking while they dropped each pair off to their assigned room. Then, from the front of the house, the doorbell rang.

"Not it," Megan and Samantha said in unison, looking at Ashley who was mid-sentence with Mischa.

"That's not fair! I was talking," Ashley complained.

"Sucks for you," Megan shrugged. Ashley sighed and ran down the spiral staircase and out of the tower. She began walking down the hallway, made a left into another corridor, and then a right to reach the front door. She opened it and sighed once more. "You pick today to find my front door? You prat."

"Aw, it's nice to see you, too, Ashley," James smiled, "Your greetings have improved a lot. Good job." With that, James patted her on the head.

"What do you want, Potter?" Ashley asked through gritted teeth.

"To see my best friend in the world, of course!" James said, flashing an even wider smile.

Ashley rolled her eyes, "Lily's on the third floor of the Guest Tower."

"Seeya!" James said, sprinting off in the direction Ashley had just come.

During her whole conversation with James, Ashley had failed to notice Sirius. He grinned at her, wickedly handsome as ever. Ashley smiled back, leaned in, and kissed him passionately on the lips. She could tell he was a bit surprised at first, but he returned the kiss after a moment, and Ashley broke it the second she felt his tounge on her lips. Slowly, she pulled away and looked up at him.

"Never tried that sober before," Ashley joked.

"Yeah, I know," Sirius said confusedly, "So why now?"

"No time like the present," Ashley shrugged, but he still looked confused, "Don't read so much into it. It's what we do, remember?"

"Yeah, when we're drunk out of our minds."

"Complaining?" Ashley raised an eyebrow.

"Not at all," he said, leaning in for another kiss, but Ashley stepped back and smiled.

"I don't want you getting too used to it," she explained, "It was just an impulse."

"You're sick, you know that?" Sirius said resentfully.

"Believe me, I know," Ashley replied, walking off down the hallway.

Sirius shook his head, trailing behind her. That was the first time they had ever kissed without being intoxicated. They shared their first kiss when Sirius stole firewhisky from the Three Broomsticks at the end of third year. Ashley's Aunt Delma was the only one still working, and Ashley had Delma talk about her marital problems with her husband, Neil, which distracted her long enough for Sirius to summon the alcohol without being noticed. It happened again twice at the beginning of fourth year, once during the middle, and three times toward the end. It just turned into something they did when they were drunk, and it worked out damn well for the both of them, seeing as neither were the commited relationship type. And to be sure the friendship wouldn't be ruined, they only went as far as kissing and only did it when they were drunk. _Until today_, Sirius added to himself. It's funny how the King of Casualty could be so stunned by Ashley's casualness about the whole ordeal. _It's because she's my best friend_, Sirius thought. He was just worried about the friendship. It was very important to him, after all.

Sirius touched his lips with two of his fingers and smirked a bit. It had been a hell of a kiss.

**Okay, first chapter up, and depending on how my reviews are, I'll try to post a next chapter asap!**


	2. Something Else

**Okay, so here's the second chapter of my story. I'd realllyyyy appreciate some reviews. They motivate me to update much more frequently. So please take a minute to let me know what you think. Enjoy!**

**Something Else**

"You know, Ashley," Lily said, collapsing on Ashley's bed and looking up at the canopy above her head, "I really love your house, it's completely brilliant, but out of everywhere in Britain to have a home, your parents decide to do it within meters of James Potter?"

"It worked out pretty well," Ashley smirked, "I got a live-in best friend out of James living so very close."

"I don't see how anyone could use the words 'best friend' and 'James' in the same sentence."

"Is anyone gunna point out that she just said 'best friend' and 'James' in the same sentence?" Mischa joked.

"You kinda just did," Katrina said, throwing a pillow at her friend.

"Besides, we all know Lily fancies James," Shiloh teased.

"So basically you're saying 'Kill me, Lily, please, I want to die,'" Lily said, grabbing the pillow from off the floor and throwing it at Shiloh hard.

Later that day, the boys came over to hang out. They were all in the backyard, and decided to play a game of Quidditch. They had two teams of seven. Ashley, playing captain for the first team, and James as captain for the other. Ashley had Shiloh, Mischa, her older brother, Jack, and three of her cousins, Summer, Hope, and Joy. On James' team was Katrina, Sirius, Megan, Ashley's younger siblings, Nick and Taylor, and her cousin, Faith. Those who weren't involved in the games, such as Lily, Amanda, Samantha, Saoirse, and Ashley's little cousin, Grace were hanging out by the pool.

Every now and then, a scream would come from one of them if anyone playing Quidditch got too clsoe to the pool area, or flew over them. James currently had the Quaffle, and was about to pass it to Megan, but Ashley intercepted it and tried to see who was open to throw it to. Shiloh was currently fighting off a bludger and Summer was too far away to throw it without it getting to someone else, so Ashley flew closer to the goal post and threw the quaffle, praying Faith wouldn't be able to stop it. She was in luck. Joy had just lunged the other bludger at her eldest sister, and the quaffle went through. They were winning! Katrina and Shiloh both dived after the quaffle, and Katrina got it, and passed it to Megan. Ashley flew to catch it mid-throw, but Sirius sent a bludger after her. Megan caught it and tried to throw it, but Jack caught it easily and threw it back to Ashley, who threw it to Summer, who threw it to Shiloh just before Nick hit a bludger at her. Mischa threw the other bludger at Faith, giving Shiloh the chance to score.

The game continued for quite sometime, and after another fifteen minutes, they were neck and neck, when someone shouted, "I've got it!" Everyone stopped, hoping it was someone on their own team who had caught the snitch.

"Yes!" Ashley cried, flying over to Hope along with the rest of her team. They all landed on the ground and put away their brooms. "We won! You lost. Nanananana."

"Your maturity level is miraculous," James rolled his eyes at her.

"Oh please, Potter. You're the exact same way," Ashley countered, "All right, guys. Change into your bathing suits. Let's go for a swim."

And so they did. Just as Ashley was finishing changing, there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Come in."

"You change incredibly quickly," Ashley observed, looking at Sirius in his green swim trunks.

"I had them on already under my clothes. Wow," Sirius gaped at her, "That's...Nice," he said, refering to her attire. Ashley was wearing a tiny two-piece black bathing suit.

She grinned and threw him a towel, "Mop up the drool from my floor, will you?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and chucked the towel back at her, "A little cocky there."

"I wouldn't be if you weren't so obvious," Ashley shrugged, "Why are you here, anyway?" she raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"To talk," Sirius replied awkwardly, stepping further into the bedroom.

"Well, you've done that," Ashley said after a moment, "So will you be leaving now?"

"You're funny," Sirius said, no hint of a smile on his lips.

Ashley furrowed her brow, looking a bit more concerned, "What's on your mind?"

"You."

Ashley's eyebrows shot up, "Huh?"

"Not like that," Sirius said quickly, "I just meant. Well...You're my best friend, Ashley."

"You came here to tell me something that I've known for five years? As sweet as it is - "

"Merlin's beard, would you let me finish?" Sirius burst out.

"Sorry," Ashley said shockedly, "Go ahead."

"I don't want to ruin our friendship," Sirius said sincerely, looking up from the floor and straight at her.

"What? I don't know what you're - Oh. Oh!" Ashley smiled a little bit and shook her head, as if shrugging off the entire issue, "That's nothing, Sirius. Jeez, don't get all worked up. It's no big deal, we'll just stop. Come on, it's _us_. It's what we do. But if you're worried, it's done with. I mean honestly, we both have more than enough options. In case you haven't noticed, we're sort of the most wanted people at school. In a sexual way, that is."

Sirius grinned and shook his head, "You're something else."

"I've been told," Ashley smirked deviously, "So, would asking you to help me with my sunblock cause you severe emotional distress?"

Sirius made a funny noise and shut his eyes, "You're the devil."

"I've been told that, too," she laughed.

A week passed and on Thursday morning, the Hogwarts letters came in. "You know what I just realized," Katrina said, holding her letter in her hand, "All the fifth year Gryffindor girls are here. One of us is a prefect."

"Lily," Ashley, Shiloh, and Mischa said in unison.

"Why do you say that?" Lily questioned.

"You're smart," Ashley replied.

"You're equally as smart as me," Lily told her.

"Yeah, but I'm a Maraudess. I don't have a squeaky clean repuation like you."

"Come off it - Oh. You were right," Lily said, trying not to squeal with joy, "I _am_ a prefect."

They all congratulated her, but her spirits weren't high for long. James came running in through the back door and into the kitchen, "I'm - a - prefect!"

"No!" Lily yelled, and everyone looked at her, "H-How? I would've bet money on Remus."

"I guess Remus just isn't quite as responsible as I am," James said, enjoying her squirm.

"Everyone have everything?" Serena White asked all of the children in front of her, "Okay, I've asked Uncle Cash's wife, Denise, to drive you lot to the station, and she was more than happy. I've enchanted her car to fit you all. Remember guys, she's a muggle."

"Married to a star Quidditch player," Samantha reminded her.

"Just don't go hexing her or anything," Serena sighed.

"We're not that mean, mom," Ashley told her.

Serena raised an eyebrow at Ashley.

"Okay, well maybe _I'm_ that mean, but, ugh you know what? Bye, mom." Serena laughed, shook her head, and kissed her children, neices, nephews, and children's friends goodbye.

Aunt Denise's car was indeed extended. It looked nearly as big as the Hogwarts Express. Well, it did have to seat 20 students! Ashley and her siblings, Samantha, Megan, Nicholas, and Taylor. Then cousins and extended relatives, such as Summer White, Faith, Joy, Hope, and Grace Linden. Along with Gary and Corinne Cross. Then there was Shiloh and Saoirse Darby, Katrina Colebrooke, Amanda Mitchell, Mischa Ferguson, Lily Evans, James Potter, and Sirius Black. For Merlin's sake, Ashley's family probably made up a quarter of Hogwarts.

Muggles stopped everything they were doing to watch as 20 children exited the beaten up old station wagon. How could they not? It was like being at the circus. Once everyone ran through the wall at Platform 9¾, they all hurried off to find their friends. Lily and James hurried off to the Prefect's Carriage, leaving Ashley, Sirius, Shiloh, Katrina, and Mischa alone. The five of them quickly found a compartment, seeing as for once, they were early. Everyone was getting settled when the door opened, and in walked Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. "Remus!" Ashley screamed, lunging at her close friend. They hugged, and then everyone else welcomed Remus and Peter.

They made small talk for five minutes or so, and then the conversation switched to Lily and James being prefects. "Everyone thought you'd get it, Rem," Mischa said, shaking her head, "If I have to live in a world where James has authority over other people, I don't want any part in it."

"Who knows? Maybe Lily will learn to get along with James now," Katrina suggested.

Everybody burst out laughing, "And maybe Sirius won't have sex this year," Shiloh laughed.

"Why me?" Sirius pouted, "Why do you all gang up on me?"

"Because it's so damn easy," Ashley giggled.

"Why not you?" Sirius turned to her, his eyes narrowed, "You get around too, y'know. What's the difference?"

"True," Ashley agreed, "However, _I_ have a reason for being the way I am. Or are we forgetting Adrian Holcombe?" Ashley countered.

Adrian Holcombe was a Ravenclaw in their year. Ashley had gone out with him for seven months when was in her third year. And even though she was young, her experience was enough to turn her off to relationships for a good time. Ashley had always had trust issues to begin with, and well, Adrian cheating on her with Carolyn Duke only worsened her trust issues. That was her first real relationship. She had had a second, with Carter Davenport, a Ravenclaw two years older than her. They went out for almost three months in fourth year, but she got bored and eventually dumped him. So, Ashley cut the drama of relationships out of her life completely. It was pure unecessary stress.

"It was two years ago," Sirius reminded her, "Life goes on."

"I know it does," Ashley snapped, "Which is why I dated Carter. But I just don't trust guys. You, on the other hand, do it just for the pure pleasure. And that's the difference."

"Okay, okay," Sirius mumbled, "I'm sorry."

To break the awkward silence, Mischa began talking about her vacation to Thailand. After a while, Lily and James found them. "Best friends yet?" Remus joked, which merely earned him a glare from Lily.

"So," Katrina said, looking around at all the faces in the compartment, "Who else wants to pretend with me that everything's dandy?"

Remus, Peter, Shiloh, and Katrina raised their hands.

"Yay, I have a following," Katrina smiled.

"Oh! Who's Head Boy?" Ashley asked Lily. Ashley's sister, Samantha, had been elected Head Girl, and she was dying to find out who her sister would be paired with.

"Dylan Edgecott," Lily said flatly.

"Dylan Edgecott...The Ravenclaw Keeper? No way. Sammy used to have a crush on him," Ashley smirked.

"Can you blame her? That bloke is built, with the face of a God," Shiloh commented dreamily.

"Is _not_," Sirius and James said in unison.

"How cute," Mischa laughed, "They're jealous."

"Shut up, Fergie," James glared at her, "We are not."

"That sort of sucks for Andrew," Mischa said, ignoring James, "I mean, Andrew's great-looking as well, but Sam's going to be spending an awful lot of time with Dylan."

"Sam wouldn't cheat on Andrew," Ashley shrugged, "She's very anti-cheating."

Some time later, all of the students filed into the Great Hall and sat themselves down at their House tables, all except the first years, who were walking toward the front and standing before the Sorting Hat. Professor McGonagall unfolded her scroll, and called out the first name, "Dorinda Applegarth."

A small girl who was slightly chubby with light brown hair and pale skin walked up to the hat, terrified. After a moment, the hat said, "GRYFFINDOR!" and so, the Gryffindors clapped, happy that the first sorted child landed in their house. Dorinda stepped down, much more relaxed, and sat at the edge of the table as everyone congratulated her. The next girl, Avalon van Buskirk, was sent to Slytherin. _Van Buskirk, _Ashley thought to herself. There were other van Buskirk's. Saffron and Dahlia, who were sisters, both in Slytherin, no surprise there. Two girls, Helena Chaplin and Esmeralda Clench, went to Hufflepuff. A girl called Kinley Combs joined her seventh-year sister, Kerana in Ravenclaw. A boy called Emmet Cox, brother of seventh year Gryffindor Acacia, went to Ravenclaw as well. More kids were sorted, and Ashley recognized many surnames. After a little over a dozen more names were called, Ashley heard the name of her little cousin, "Grace Linden." Ashley knew that Grace desperately wanted to join her three sisters in Gryffindor, so she crossed two of her fingers for her.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted, and Ashley could tell Grace was resisting the urge to shout with it. Grace's sisters all cheered happily, and Grace ran over to sit with Hope.

Ten or so more names were called and finally, it was Ashley's sister, Taylor. She was the same way Grace was, and again, Ashley crossed her fingers. It was okay, though. The second the hat touched her head it said, "GRYFFINDOR!" Taylor happily came down and sat next to Grace. One more kid went to get sorted called Clarence Ziggler (he too, was a Gryffindor, like his older brother, Zachary) and then the feast began. All in all, there were 32 incoming first years. (9 Gryffindors, 8 Ravenclaws, 8 Hufflepuffs, and 7 Slytherins)

And so the next day, classes begun. Ashley, Lily, and Remus had the exact same schedule. As did Mischa, Shiloh, and Katrina, and James, Sirius, and Peter. The Gryffindor fifth years had the exact same schedule, except for periods four and six, which is where the electives were. Ashley, Lily, and Remus took Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Mischa, Shiloh, and Katrina took Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. James, Sirius, and Peter took Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies.

"Congratulations, Brody," Ashley said as Katrina's older brother came down to the common room the first evening after classes ended, "I thought you'd be made captain."

"Thanks," Brody said, trying to hide how thrilled he was.

"Do you know when you'll be holding trials?" Ashley questioned.

"Not sure yet," Brody responded, smiling, "But you and Potter are two of the best Chasers in the school. Of course you'll be back on the team."

"There could be someone better this year," Ashley told him, "So don't go making up your mind just yet."

Brody smiled and shook his head, "Have you seen my sister?"

"She's at the library with Lily, I think," Ashley responded.

"Thanks. I'll see you later, Ash."

"Bye, Brode."

Ashley heard a group of girls talking by the fire, and turned to see who was there. It was Grace and Taylor with three other girls. Ashley smiled, glad that they had made friends here. Even though they were quite lucky to come in together and be sorted into the same house. "Hey, guys," Ashley said, walking over to them.

"Hey," Taylor smiled, and turned to her friends, "Ashley, this is Chyla Lowe, Dorinda Applegarth, and Emma Solomon. Guys, this is my sister, Ashley. Who's also Gracie's cousin."

"Nice to meet you," Ashley said kindly.

"Nice to meet you, too," the three girls chorused. They all seemed like nice girls. Chyla had a deep tan, midnight colored hair, and eyes to match. She was postively pint-sized, and Ashley would hardly believe it if the girl were four feet tall. Dorinda, though a tiny bit chubby, was very cute and cheerful-looking. Emma looked quite funny next to Chyla, because Emma was at least a foot taller. Her skin was ivory, and she had red-brown hair, and hazel eyes.

It was almost 7 o'clock and Ashley decided to go out for a little walk around the castle. It was quiet, seeing as not many people were roaming around at the moment. Ashley turned down a corridor and stopped in her tracks. "W-What're you doing here?"

"Um, it all started about five years ago. You see, I got this letter saying 'You have been accepted -'"

"Forget it," Ashley rolled her eyes and spun on her heel, ready to walk away.

"Ashley, wait a minute," he said, and she heard his footsteps as they become closer.

Ashley sighed and turned back around, "What do you want, Adrian?"

"I still feel bad everytime I see you," Adrian told her, looking into her dark eyes.

"You wouldn't if you hadn't cheated on me," Ashley shrugged.

"We might still be together if I hadn't done that," Adrian murmured.

"Guess we'll never know, 'cause you did," Ashley said casually, as if discussing Quidditch.

"I don't know what to say anymore besides sorry," Adrian said.

"Then I guess you should just give up then," Ashley said quietly.

"I made a mistake," Adrian told her, "It's been two years. I've matured."

"That's great for the next girl," Ashley said with a slight shrug.

"I want you to be the next girl," Adrian told her, "I really do."

Just then, from down the hall behind Adrian, Ashley saw Sirius. He looked a little concerned and started making his way over. "Aw Adrian, really?" Ashley said sweetly, walking over to him. She put her arms out to embrace him, and he did the same, when suddenly, she turned a bit, making Sirius to receiver of the hug, and Ashley began to laugh. "You couldn't have possibly believed me."

"You're a real bitch, you know that?" Adrian said angrily.

"What did you just say, Holcombe?" Sirius asked furiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me repeat that slowly," he turned back to Ashley, "You...Are...A...Bitch."

Sirius raised his fist in the air, ready to hit him, when Ashley shoved him out of the way. "I appreciate it, Sirius, but this is my fight," she smirked. Ashley raised her own fist, and punched Adrian in the nose. Blood gushed from it, and Ashley resisted the urge to giggle. Adrian muttered something inaudible and stalked off.

"Nice work," Sirius said approvingly.

"Thanks," Ashley grinned.

"You're something else," Sirius shook his head, and linked his arm with Ashley's, "You know that?"

**All right, so get to that reviewinnn and i'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as I possibly can. byee ! **


	3. Liar, Liar

**I thought I would add a nice fun chapter. I decided to have the characters play a game in this chapter so that you could learn more about them. Clever, huh? So read and revieww!**

**Liar, Liar**

"You punched him in the face?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows at her friend in amazement.

"Yup," Ashley said proudly, caressing her right fist, "Nothing has ever been so worth pain in my life."

Shiloh laughed, "I wish I could've seen the look on his face!"

"I wish I could've, too. The prat was so soaked in blood, you couldn't see a damn thing," Ashley said dissapointedly, making everyone else laugh.

"So how's prefect duty with Mr. Potter going?" Mischa asked suggestively.

Lily rolled her eyes and shook her head, "How do you think it's going?"

"That bad?" Katrina questioned.

"It's Potter," Lily said, as if she needed to remind them, "How on Earth could it be anything but bad?"

"What's he doing?" Shiloh questioned.

"More or less the same stuff he's been doing the past four years," Lily said, obviously aggitated.

Ashley was getting back into the swing of things, seeing as the second week of school had started. She easily got her position as Chaser back on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She and James had been practicing a lot so that they made sure to win the first game of the year, against Slytherin. Ashley soared in the air, and then dove down to land her broom. "Good practice, everyone," Brody said sincerely.

"Thanks, Brode!" Ryland Bryce said cheerfully. Ryland was one of the shortest girls in the entire school. Short enough to make Ashley, who stood at barely five feet tall, look big. She was maybe four foot nine or so, and in her seventh year. But her size gave her an advantage when it came to her position as the team's seeker.

"Who's the Slytherin captain this year, anyway?" Nathan Oxford, a boy in his fifth year, questioned. Nathan was a Chaser, like Ashley and James.

"Yaxley," Andrew Pennington said grimly. Andrew was dating Samantha White, and played on the team as a Keeper.

"The bloke with the Death Eater uncle? _Him_?" James asked furiously.

"Afraid so," Brody confirmed the infromation, "I have to admit, he's a fair flyer, though. But we don't have to worry about him finding the snitch, since we've got Ry."

"Thanks," Ryland smiled, "But he is awfully good."

"Don't you worry about it," Brody told her seriously, "You've both been playing Seeker for four years now. You've beat him loads of times. You're terrific."

"Thanks," Ryland repeated.

"I hate having the first match against Slytherin," said Chase Faulkner, a third year, who was on the team as a Beater for his first year.

"Don't worry," Ashley told him, "You're a great Beater. Don't let the Slytherins ruin your fun. They're all right prats."

Ashley walked into the Common Room with James and glanced around. Sirius was on a couch with a third year called Milena Darling. Ashley and James walked a little closer, and James cleared his throat. Sirius opened an eye, narrowed his eyebrows, as if warning James off, and continued what he was doing. James and Ashley exchanged a look, and he smirked.

James jumped right in the middle of Milena and Sirius. "Hey guys, what's up?" James asked.

Sirius narrowed his eyes, "Go away."

"Aw, this reminds me. I have some place to be," Ashley said mysteriously.

"What?" Sirius asked, jumping up, forgetting James and Milena.

"I'm supposed to meet up with Todd Foley," Ashley told them with a grin.

"The sixth year Hufflepuff Chaser?" Sirius questioned.

"Yes, dad. What's it to you?" Ashley asked, "Do you not like him?"

"He's too cocky," Sirius shrugged, "Way too full of himself."

At this, Ashley's jaw literally dropped, "Well, if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black! Gosh, it's not like I'm marrying him. It's not even like I'm dating him. I'm just messing around with him. What's up with you?"

"Nothing," Sirius said hotly, "Come on, Millie. Let's go for a walk by the lake."

"All right," Milena shrugged, "Bye, James. Bye, Ashley."

They left, and James turn to Ashley, "What's gotten into him?"

"Good question," Ashley muttered, "I guess he's just feeling a little overprotective."

"As if Todd's the first," James snorted, and Ashley hit him in the chest.

Later that day, after Ashley spent the day fooling around with Todd, she went back up to her room. The second she entered, Lily and Katrina began giggling like maniacs.

"What's so funny?" Ashley demanded.

"This," Katrina said, throwing a small powder blue book at Ashley.

Ashley recognized it at once and her mouth fell open, "Okay guys, that's a _huge_ invasion of privacy!"

"We're sorry," Lily laughed, "We thought it was a diary."

"Little did we know, we stumbled upon something much better," Katrina added with a chuckle.

"Fine, now you know my dirty history with the opposite sex," Ashley rolled her eyes, "Happy?"

"You kissed _Potter_? And Black?" Lily questioned her.

"Don't forget Alden Kellerman, Adrian Holcombe, Carter Davenport, Jason Slater, and Jesse Ritter," Katrina reminded her.

"How did we not know that?" Lily asked.

Ashley shrugged, "You knew about Adrian and Carter, obviously. I told you about Alden and Jason, too. Sirius and I kissed a few times when we were drunk. James was a one-time thing because neither of us had ever kissed anyone before. We were 12, for Merlin's sake! Not even Sirius knows that. And well, Jesse was a hook-up, just like Alden and Jason were. Which reminds me, I have to add Todd Foley to that list."

"Todd Foley? Hmm, nice work," Katrina said approvingly.

"Not really. I may see him once or twice more, but he's sort of a pain in the arse," Ashley confessed.

"You have a thing for Quidditch players, huh?" Lily observed.

"Yeah, I do," Ashley agreed, "What can I say? Athletes are cute."

"Honestly, you've become Sirius Black in a skirt," Katrina joked.

"Rubbish," Ashley said instantly, "He's been with at least twice the amount of people I've been with. Speaking of Sirius, I'm going to find him. Bye."

Ashley waved and left the dormitory. She began walking down to the common room, where she spotted Sirius, alone, writing something down. "Are you doing...Homework?" Ashley questioned in amazement.

"It's as if you don't even _know_ me! Of course I'm not doing homework. It's a prank," Sirius informed her.

"Oh, I should've realized," Ashley said, hitting herself on the head.

"So, how was Foley?" Sirius questioned.

Ashley shrugged, "I definitely don't like him. I'll probably see him once or twice more, and then forget him."

"You know I had a thing with his sister?" Sirius said with a slight smile.

"Which sister?" Ashley questioned.

"Blaire," Sirius answered, "Back in third year."

They talked for a bit longer, when Ashley's sister Megan entered the common room. She looked awfully happy as she walked closer to Ashley. "Who's the boy?" Ashley questioned her little sister.

"What are you talking about?" Megan asked.

"I know that look," Ashley told her, "Now tell me."

"Chrysander Applegarth," Megan said, unable to contain her smile.

"Oh, Chrys. He's a really nice kid," Ashley nodded her head approvingly. Chrysander was a Gryffindor in his sixth year. He was also insanely sweet. "Are you dating?"

Megan shook her head, "He told Kayce that he likes me."

"That's great," Ashley said happily, "That could be your future boyfriend."

Megan's grin grew wider, "I really hope so. Well, I'm gunna go tell Mitchie, Summer, and Donnie. Bye," Megan said dreamily, walking up the staircase to her dormitory.

"I can't believe it," Ashley shook her head, "I'm jealous."

Sirius raised his eyebrows, "You like Chrysander?"

"No," Ashley rolled her eyes, "I'm talking about being with someone. You know, like a relationship. It's so weird."

"You want to date somebody?" Sirius questioned.

"No," Ashley said instantly, "Well, maybe. I don't know. I mean, I wouldn't date somebody just for the sake of dating someone, you know? But maybe if someone came along...Oh, what am I saying? That's ridiculous."

"You've done nothing but bash relationships for the past nine months," Sirius reminded her.

"I know," Ashley nodded thoughtfully, "I know."

It was a cool, crisp day. The day you know that summer really is over, and there won't be anymore hot days. Ashley was sitting by the lake with Remus, James, and Mischa Ferguson. There was a cool breeze every now and then, but it was all in all, a pleasant day. Ashley glanced at Mischa playing with her two cats, Corby and Dysis. She got Corby for Christmas back in first year, and Dysis during the summer after third year. Toward the end of fourth year, the two cats mated and had four kittens. Ashley took one, Lily took one, Saoirse took one, and Kayce took the last.

"So, Fergie," James said as he flashed a smile at Mischa, "About that Muggle Studies essay..."

"The one I gave to Professor Vandenberk yesterday? What about it?" Mischa asked.

"Nevermind," James muttered.

"Hey, guys," Katrina's voice sounded from behind them. She sat down on the ground along with her brother, Brody, "What's up?"

"Nothing, James here was just trying to cheat his way through Muggle Studies," Remus answered, shaking his head.

"So, basically, the usual," Katrina nodded.

"Are we gunna have another practice before the game on Saturday?" Ashley questioned Brody.

Brody nodded, "Yeah. I'm gunna post it after dinner for Thursday night. We really lucked out that Faulkner recovered from the last practice so quickly."

That was true. Chase Faulkner, who happened to be new meat on the team, got his nose broken after taking a bludger to the face, which knocked him off his broom, causing him to also break his left arm, and a few ribs.

"He's okay now, right?" Ashley questioned. She had visited Chase once with a few members of the team, which was a little over a week ago. He had been in pretty bad shape.

"Good as new," Brody replied, "I've seen him three times. He left the Hospital Wing this morning. I would've been in a panic if I had to find a replacement in such short notice." Brody shook his head and glanced at his watch, "Oi, I've gotta be off. I'll see you guys," he said, standing and jogging toward the castle.

"Where is he in such a hurry to?" Mischa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Probably to see his new girlfriend," Katrina laughed.

"_What_? Brody has a girlfriend?" Ashley questioned, "Who is it?"

"Annabelle Hunter," Katrina responded. Annabelle Hunter was a quiet girl in their year. She had long, wavy light brown hair and pale bluish green eyes. She always gave off the impression that if you were to touch her, or talk too loudly, she would shatter like glass. She was definitely attractive, though, there was no denying that. Nobody would ever think of Annabelle as hot. That is, to say her body was nothing special. She seemed to possess a sort of classic beauty about her.

"So, I guess he's over Rebecca, then?" Mischa inquired. Rebecca Gallagher had gone out with Brody for nine months, almost all of his fifth year, and completely broke his heart right before the summer ended. She was a very sweet, outgoing kind of girl. Her excuse for dumping Brody was that "the fire had simply died out" in their relationship. Sadly, Brody hadn't quite felt that way about it, which caused him to spend the last two weeks of school, the entire summer, and the first week of school to be in some sort of unbreakable depression.

"I guess so," Katrina agreed.

"That's great," Mischa said, "It's about time."

"It took him a while to get over her because Rebecca was his first real love and all," Katrina shrugged, "But Brody always lands on his feet."

"He's adorable," Ashley said randomly.

"Okay, that's my brother, Ash," Katrina said, making a face.

"Oh, come on. Fergie, tell me he isn't good-looking," Ashley said.

"Well, yeah, he's great-looking," Mischa answered, then glared at Katrina, "What happened to you?"

"Oh, very funny," Katrina rolled her eyes and threw a stray twig at Mischa.

It was a rainy Friday night, and there wasn't much to do. Ashley, Lily, Mischa, Katrina, Shiloh, Samantha, Saoirse, Faith, Joy, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Andrew, and Brody were the only ones still awake in the common room, and they were all talking. "Let's play a game," Shiloh suggested.

"What kind of game?" Saoirse asked cautiously. Shiloh was always thinking of games that would cause drama and tension in the group. Probably because the drama never circulated around her personally, so it was probably amusing to her.

"How about _Liar, Liar_?" Shiloh suggested, and the entire group let out a groan.

"I _despise_ _Liar, Liar_," Joy groaned.

"That's because you always lie," Shiloh shrugged. Nobody could argue there. Joy was never particularly good at the game.

_Liar, Liar_ was a game where you went around in a circle asking questions. After everyone in the group answered their question, a clear ball would fly around to detect how many lies were told during the round. Everyone in the group would then have to guess who was lying, and if they guessed right, the person would have no choice but to tell the truth.

"_Fine_, let's do it. It's been a whole two weeks without drama, why should we go on like that?" Faith said sarcastically.

"Okay. Here we go," Shiloh said, taking the ball out of her bag, "I'll start." She turned to the person to her left, which was Ashley, "Who was your first kiss with?"

Ashley took in a deep breath. The truth finally comes out. She could feel James shoot her a look, "It was James."

Nearly everybody let out a gasp of shock, "_What_?" Sirius said loudly.

"It was only one time. In second year. It was nothing."

"And you kept it from everyone this long?" Samantha asked in shock.

"Like I said, it was nothing," Ashley shrugged, and turned to her older sister, "Have you had sex with someone other than Andrew?"

"No," Samantha said without hesitation, and then turned to Andrew, "Have you flirted with anyone while we were together?"

"Nope," Andrew replied flatly, looking to his right at Joy, "Are you a virgin?"

"Yup," Joy nodded her head, "Hmm, Sirius. Who did you lose your virginity to?"

"Serafina Kelly, October of fourth year," Sirius responded, wiggling his eyebrows, causing everyone to roll their eyes, "Let's see, James... Have you ever been in love?"

James looked directly at Lily, but only for a splitsecond before he turned away, "Yeah. Okay, Mischa...How many people have you snogged?"

Mischa appeared to think for a second, "Um. Just two."

"Two?" James repeated.

"Two. Elick and Keith," Mischa answered. Elick Clench was Mischa's first boyfriend. He was a Hufflepuff, in the year above them and they dated for 5 months during third year. But they were young, so they got bored and moved on. Keith Dormer was a fellow Gryffindor, two years older than Mischa. They, too, dated for five months, during fourth year. But Keith dumped her and began dating Vanessa Ventrella soon after, "So, Katrina...Have you ever fancied Sirius?"

Katrina shook her head instantly, "No way. Remus...Have you ever cheated on a girl?"

"Ouch," Sirius said, pouting at Katrina, "That hurts."

"No. Faith, how old were you when you had your first kiss?" Remus asked as the entire group ignored Sirius.

"Uh...Thirteen, I believe," Faith replied, "Okay, Soirse, who did you last kiss?"

"Landon Brisk," Saoirse responded with a grin, "Three and a half hours ago. Peter...Who was your first crush on?"

"Oksana Olsen. Back in first year," Peter replied, shaking his head, "Lily...Have you ever had romantic thoughts about James?"

James perked up and stared straight at her, not bothering to hide it, "Never. Brody, if you could be with any girl in school, who would it be?"

"My girlfriend, obviously," Brody replied with an angelic smile.

"Awww," the girls chorused.

"Shiloh...Have you ever had romantic feelings for a Slytherin?"

"Oh, he doesn't know?" Shiloh asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Know what?" Brody asked perplexedly.

"I dated a Slytherin for three months," Shiloh responded, "Raphael Crescent. Back in fourth year."

"No! A _Slytherin_? _Why_?"

Shiloh shrugged, "They're not all awful." She then contracted the clear ball from her bag. It rose up into the air and flew around everybodys heads. Smoke began to fill the ball. It was red, then orange, then yellow, then green, and finally, blue. At the end a black 5 appeared in the ball.

"Five people lied," Shiloh stated, "Who wants to acuse some liars?"

"I do!" Sirius said excitedly. "Katrina! There's no way you didn't want me at some point. It's not possible." Shiloh wrote the name Katrina on a piece of paper.

"I don't believe Lily," Faith said with a smirk, "I think she lied."

Lily turned beet red, "Well, I think you lied, too," she shot back.

"Mischa," James said, "No way she only kissed two guys."

"I think Brody lied," Joy added, "No guys is really that sweet."

"I think Sirius lied," Ashley chimed in, "For some reason, I don't think it was Serafina."

"Andrew," Brody said, "He must've flirted."

"Is that all?" Shiloh asked as she finished writing Andrew's name. Everyone remained silent, so she took that as a yes. Folding up each paper, she slid them into the top part of the ball and the ball turned a bright gold. A gold aura surrounded five of the teenagers in the room. Brody Colebrooke, Lily Evans, Faith Linden, Katrina Colebrooke, and Sirius Black had indeed been lying.

"Brody," Shiloh said, shaking her head, "You want to have sex with someone who isn't your girlfriend, huh? Who is it, then?"

Brody's mouth stayed closed, because he very obviously didn't want to say. The golden ball then flew inside of his ear and golden sparks began erupting from him. "Ashley."

Everyone glanced from Brody to Ashley, enjoying the awkwardness as the ball made its way out of Brody's head.

"She was talking about how good-looking you were the other day, you know," Mischa said, trying to break the tension.

"As were you," Ashley reminded her.

Mischa turned bright red, "Oh, yeah."

"Lily, you lied as well, eh?" Shiloh said with a wicked smile, "So that means she has thought of James in a romantic kind of way. How beautifully sickening. Faith, your first kiss wasn't at the age of thirteen. How old were you?"

Faith let in a deep breath, "Nearly seventeen."

"No way," Sirius said in shock.

"It's the truth," Faith shrugged. "Embarrassing."

"Don't worry about it," Samantha said comfortinly.

"Katrina, you too, are a liar," Shiloh continued, "Meaning you have fancied Sirius at some point. And when was this?"

"Some of second and third year," Katrina rolled her eyes in disgust.

"I knew it," Sirius said smugly.

"You're so full of yourself," Ashley commented.

"With reason," Sirius replied with a wink.

"Hmmm...Sirius, you didn't lose your virginity to Serafina Kelly. Who was it?" Shiloh asked interestedly.

Sirius opened his mouth slightly and mumbled something inaudible.

"Excuse me?" Shiloh said, raising an eyebrow.

"Calindu," Sirius repeated. Everyone around him looked completely clueless, but then Ashley's face filled with rage as she screamed, "CAROLYN DUKE?"

Sirius nodded his head slowly, not looking up at anyone.

"You bloody git!" Ashley shouted, jumping to her feet. She crossed the floor over to Sirius and punched him in the face.

"Do you have to do that to everyone?" Sirius said, clutching his face as blood spurred from his nose.

"Fuck you, Sirius." And with those last words, Ashley stormed up to her dormitory, with her friends right behind her.

"That was a real scumbag thing to do, you know," James told Sirius once they had left, "I mean, her first real boyfriend had been cheating on her with Carolyn. And then you sleep with her?"

"I know it was dumb," Sirius said, "I've regretted it ever since. But you - you kissed Ashley!"

"So what?" James asked confusedly.

"What a nice amount of time to keep that from me," Sirius said, jumping up and looking angered, "You know what? I'm going upstairs.

Goodnight, everybody."

**what did you think? things are going to get pretty awkward and loud between the characters. so please review in order to inspire me to write the next chapter faster. **


	4. Changes

**Sorry this took so long to get up! I've been fighting for some free time for a while now, and I finally got it, so here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Changes**

"You know, that means James really does love you, right?" Katrina said to Lily with a grin, "It was proved tonight."

"It was _not_," Lily rolled her emerald-coloured almond-shaped eyes at Katrina, "First of all, when he was asked that question, it doesn't automatically mean it's me that he was in love with. He may have loved someone else at some point. And secondly, nobody called James on his answer, so for all we know, if it had been about me, he could have lied and gotten away with it. So keep your little theories to yourself."

"Relax, Lily. My gosh," Katrina shook her head, "Try removing that pole from your arse, will you? It might make it easier to enjoy life." Katrina looked away from Lily and repositioned herself on the bed as she tied up her long dark hair in a pony-tail.

"I can't _believe_ he had sex with her," Ashley said, still reeling.

"You can't believe that Sirius Black had sex with a slutty girl? Ashley, where have you been through the years?" Mischa asked sarcastically.

"But _her_? I'm supposed to be his _best_ friend. How could he do that to me? And she knows we're best friends. She probably did it so she could show me that she could have all the guys in my life if she wants them. She's a coniving manipulative evil little bitch and - "

"Woah, Ashley, calm down," Shiloh told her, "Take a deep breath. This happened a really long time ago. I'm sure Sirius has felt bad about it the entire time."

"Hmph! I'm sure he has. I bet he didn't think twice about it a single time. All he cares about is himself, you know. He doesn't give a damn who he hurts as long as he gets his way. He's a bloody inconsiderate bastard."

"He's also your best friend," Mischa reminded her, "You'll work things out with him."

"Will not," Ashley told her stubbornly, "I'm never speaking to that pig again as long as I live."

"I give it two days at most," Lily said quietly to Shiloh.

"I find it utterly disturbing that Brody wants to have sex with you," Katrina said after a moment or two of silence.

"I had completely forgotten about that!" Lily exclaimed with a grin.

"Ouch, Katrina. Am I that unattractive?" Ashley questioned.

Katrina rolled her eyes, "You know it isn't that."

Ashley smirked, "Yeah, I know what you mean. Hey, I was pretty shocked myself. There are 133 girls in this school, and he picks me?"

"133 girls? You _counted_?" Mischa asked, her jaw lowering.

"I got bored waiting for Dumbledore to finish his speech at the sorting," Ashley shrugged, "There are also 123 boys."

"You're sick in the head," Lily told her.

Sirius collapsed onto his bed and looked up at the ceiling. He had a lot of thoughts circulating in his head. Ashley hadn't been mad at him like this since the time he hexed warts all over her face and couldn't find the counter-jinx. He had slept with the girl that Ashley completely despised. The girl that broke her up with Adrian. His thoughts then switched to an image of Ashley and James kissing passionately. How could the two of them keep that from him for this long? It had been about three years. Two of his best friends were each others first kiss. _She kissed me more_, Sirius thought to himself, then shook his head. Why would that even matter?

Sirius knew he would have to face Ashley's wrath as soon as possible, so things could go back to normal. But Sirius never dealt with things quickly. He was a known procrastinator. He looked over to the other side of the room, where James was snoozing, and Sirius could nearly make out the drool that was most certainly escaping from his mouth. James was known far and wide for snoring and drooling. Not wanting to be near him for reasons other than the drooling, Sirius stood up and began walking out of the dormitory and downstairs to the common room.

When he finally got down there, he sighed. _So much for procrastination_, Sirius thought to himself. Ashley had just turned around. Apparently, she had been sitting, gazing into the fire.

"What are you doing here?" Ashley questioned in an extremely low voice. It was partly angry, partly upset, and partly deleriously tired.

"Couldn't sleep," Sirius shrugged, "You?"

"Same," Ashley replied, quiet still, "How could you do that to me, Sirius? After what she did to me? She hurt me, she had sex with my boyfriend, she humiliated me and turned me into a joke. And she enjoyed every single moment of it. Was she worth it, Sirius?" he remained silent for a minute or so. He hated the fact that he hurt her. She was his best friend, after all. And she'd never betray him like that. Admittedly, Ashley had her flaws, but when it came to friendship, she was fiercely loyal, "Well, was she?"

"Of course not," Sirius said quietly, keeping his eyes on the carpet.

"So, are you going to say anything?" Ashley questioned, folding her arms.

"Just that I'm sorry," Sirius replied. He dared to lift his head up to look at her, and took a step foward, "and that I wish I could take it back. It was a huge mistake to ever even think about doing anything to hurt you. You've always been a great friend to me. You've always been there to listen to me, to talk to me, to make me feel better. You don't judge me or make me feel bad. Well, unless you're joking around. But I know you hate me right now, and I don't blame you, you have every right to be. I'd probably hate me too if I were you. But you've got to believe me...I'd do anything to fix this. I mean, you're my best friend. You know I love you. I'm so sorry."

Sirius took a deep breath and looked at her for a minute, "I'll just let you be alone now. Good night." He turned around and began walking toward the stairs.

As he was about to take the first step, in an almost inaudible whisper, Ashley said, "I don't hate you." But somehow, she could tell he heard her.

"Oh, Ashley. Would you quit that?" Lily shook her head, refering to the way Ashley was gnawing on her hair.

"No, I will not," Ashley answered stubbornly, "Lily, you bite your nails. Mischa bites the skin on the back of her hand. Shiloh tugs on her ears. Katrina knocks her fists on tables relentlessly. So leave me _alone_."

"I was talking about you shaking your legs as well. You're shaking the table."

Ashley shot her a death glare, "I've caught you sucking on your thumb in the middle of night."

"That only happens when I have night mares!" Lily shot back.

Ashley shrugged, "Well, you still do it."

"What happened with you and Sirius anyway?" Shiloh questioned.

Ashley opened her mouth, and then closed it, as she saw Sirius walking toward them. He half-smiled and sat next to Remus, across from James and Peter. They were far enough out of ear-shot, so Ashley opened her mouth again, "We sort of talked last night."

"Did you forgive him?" Katrina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Close," Ashley answered, "I told him I didn't hate him. Baby steps, Katrina. Baby steps."

"What did he have to say for himself?" Mischa questioned.

"He gave this little speech," Ashley replied, "It was touching, really."

"Don't be sarcastic about it," Lily said reproachfully, "You know it must have been if you two are taking steps at a reconciliation."

"Leave her be," Shiloh told Lily, "You know sarcasm is her defense mechanism."

"Excuse me? I happen to be sitting right here," Ashley pointed downward at where she was sitting to indicate this, "What's this rubbish about a defense mechanism?"

"Oh, don't even pretend," Mischa rolled her blue-green eyes.

"Who's pretending?" Ashley said, her eyes wide as she looked back and forth between her four friends.

"Well, it's just...You tend to use sarcasm and jokes to avoid your problems," Lily informed her, "You can't tell me you've never realized. You've been doing it since the day I met you."

"To avoid my problems?" Ashley repeated.

"Yeah," Katrina continued, "Whenever something serious is happening, you bitch about it in a sarcastic manner and make jokes. I think it's so you don't have to actually deal with it if you imagine it as a joke."

"That's ridiculous. You guys need to stop reading too much into my sarcasm. It's here for the amusement of all! My sarcasm does not appreciate being analyzed in this manner."

"So, what happened? I heard you sneak out last night," Remus looked at Sirius suspiciously.

"Nothing," Sirius answered, taking a bite of toast, "I went down to the common room and talked to Ashley."

"What happened?" James asked curiously.

"We talked for a little while," Sirius answered. He found that it was difficult to look at James, "I think we're going to be okay. It'll take some time, though."

"Yeah, you did mess up pretty bad," James agreed.

"Shut the hell up," Sirius snarled in such an angry voice, James nearly fell backward.

"What's gotten into you?" James questioned after recovering from the shock, "We always laugh when you mess up and now you're acting all defensive."

"Well at least I didn't lie to my best mates for three years," Sirius countered.

"Lie? First of all, I never lied to any of you. You never asked me who my first kiss was. You never asked me if I ever kissed Ashley. And why do you even care? Why is it such a big deal to you? It doesn't seem to bother Remus or Peter," James retorted.

"I don't care," Sirius mumbled, folding his arms.

"That looks really mature, Sirius," James said sarcastically, "For Merlin's sake, do you have a thing for her or something?"

"Of course not," Sirius replied loudly, making everyone at the table, including Ashley, look at him, "Of _course_ I didn't do my Potions homework. What a silly thing to ask, James." Everyone seemed to accept this, seeing as it was Sirius Black, and returned to what they had been doing.

"Nice save," Remus chuckled.

Sirius shot him a dirty look, which made the laughter stop at once.

After breakfast, Ashley walked with James, but parted to go to their seperate changing rooms. The game against Slytherin was today. "I can't wait to crush Slytherin."

"Me neither," Ashley grinned.

"I'm really hoping we have an undefeated season," Ryland confessed, "I mean, I know everyone is, obviously. But I really want to land a position on the Holyhead Harpies, and an undefeated season would look great for me."

"I never knew you wanted to do this professionally," Ashley said, impressed.

"Oh, it's been a dream since I was eight," Ryland admitted.

"You definitely have the talent for it," Ashley told her encouragingly.

"Thanks," Ryland said with a smile, "Let's get out there and put Slytherin to shame, eh?"

"Sounds like a plan," Ashley replied, grabbing her broom and leaving the changing room.

The second she got out there, Ashley looked up into the stands. Lily, Katrina, Shiloh, Mischa, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Faith, Joy, Hope, Grace, Saoirse, Samantha, Megan, Taylor, Summer, Kayce, Sienna, and Amanda were in their usual place with the Gryffindors. They were all waving and cheering.

Ashley mounted her broom and went up into the air. Madam Hooch then threw the quaffle upward. "James Potter has caught the quaffle, and off he goes! Murdock Dolley aims a bludger at him and misses. Potter is now being tailed by Saffron van Buskirk. Potter throws to Nathan Oxford, but Quinn Strickland intercepts, catches, shoots, and scores! Ten points to Slytherin!"

"Shit," Ashley said angrily, looking over at Roman Vapshore, a Ravenclaw in her year who held the position of announcer. James was now in possession of the quaffle again and passed it to Ashley. Ashley flew off at top speed, but Sylvia Bulstrode and Quinn Strickland were on either side of her, so she threw the ball straight ahead to Nathan, so they both pursued him. After a moment, he threw it back to her, and she took off as fast as she could, and threw the ball. "Oxford throws back to White, White shoots... Ten points to Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindors in the stands roared with happiness. The teams were now even. The game went on like that, with Gryffindor and Slytherin neck-and-neck scoring back and forth. It was anyone's game, and the snitch had yet to be caught. James and Ashley had each scored four goals, and Nathan had scored three. Just a splitsecond after Ashley scored her fifth, there was a scream of, "Ryland Bryce has caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins!"

The Gryffindors cheered, the Slytherins booed. It was exactly the way Ashley liked it. Ashley landed and congratulated the rest of her team. James lifted her up and spun around. Then, did the same with Ryland. It was quite a wonderful way to begin the season.

Later on, everyone was in the common room celebrating Gryffindor's victory. "Would you mind not scoring more points than me?" James asked Ashley, "It makes my male ego deflate a bit."

"There are ways of deflating that?" Lily asked surprisedly, "And all these years I believed there was no off-switch."

James made a face as if he had been sucking on a lemon, "Very funny."

Lily shrugged, "I thought it was a tad bit."

"I thought it was a little, too," Remus replied, and James narrowed his eyes at his friend, "Er - But what do I know?" Remus joked.

"The look on Bulstrode's face when you took the quaffle from her. Oh, it was priceless!" Katrina giggled.

"Yeah, that was amazing," Sirius agreed.

"Thanks," Ashley said quietly.

"Hey, everyone," said the voice of Brody Colebrooke as he sat down on the floor next to his sister, "Nice job out there today."

"Thanks, you too," said Ashley.

"Did you just get back from seeing Annabelle?" Katrina asked suggestively.

"Yeah. She was pleased with the game," Brody said proudly.

"Annabelle? Annabelle Hunter?" Sirius questioned.

Brody rolled his eyes, "Oh no. I'm guessing you know her?"

"Yeah. She's in my year and all..." Sirius trailed off.

"We all know what it means when Sirius knows a girl," Mischa said with a smirk.

"How long did you _know her_, Sirius?" Katrina asked.

"Not long. It had to be a maximum of ten days."

"So basically, she wouldn't have sex with you?" James guessed with a laugh.

Sirius shrugged, "Pretty much, yeah. She's a nice girl, though."

"I can't picture Annabelle with you. She's a goody-two shoes. She never does anything like that," Brody said contemplatively.

"It's my charm," Sirius said with a wink, "If I remember right, I was her first kiss, and the girl was nearly fifteen. I have my ways."

"You're sick," Brody stated, shaking his head, but he cracked a slight smile as he did so.

The following weekend, Ashley spent the day hanging out with Remus. He was finally uncovering all of the secrets about his last relationship. It was three months long, from January to April, with Natasha Beckwith, a Hufflepuff who was a year younger than them. Natasha was extremely quiet, and in the three months Remus was with her, Ashley had only had about four conversations with her. She was pretty, though. Her skin was a milky brown, she had big dark eyes, long brown hair, and full lips.

"...She was a bit on the boring side. Oh, and she was overly paranoid about every little thing," Remus concluded.

"Remus?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?" Ashley had this question burning inside her for months now, but had never summoned the courage to ask it.

"Sure," Remus shrugged.

"And you swear you'll tell me the truth?" Ashley continued, twiddling her thumbs nervously.

"I swear," Remus saud seriously, "What's on your mind?"

"Okay, I'm just going to come right out with it," Ashley told him, "But remember, you swore. Are...Are you a werewolf?"

Remus' face drained of color, and before he even opened his mouth to speak, Ashley knew the answer, "How did you know?"

"Well, you go off once a month to visit your mother who you claim is ill, and that's been going on as long as I've known you. Then last year, during the last four or five months of school, I noticed you were always gone when the moon was full. So, I went out one night in May extremely late, and I heard a howling, and the first thing I thought of was you."

"Did you talk to anyone about this?" Remus asked.

"No, of course not. It's not their business," Ashley answered, "Were you ever going to tell us?"

"I wanted to," Remus sighed heavily, "but I was afraid. I hated lying to you guys so much over the years."

"It's okay," Ashley told him kindly, "I understand why you did. C'mere." Ashley edged closer to him, and drew him into a tight hug.

"So, you're not like, afraid of me or anything?"

Ashley stared at him, not believing what she had just heard, "_What_? Oh, Remus. And I always thought of you as smart. Of course I'm not afraid of you! You're still the same person you've been all these years. The only difference is I know something I didn't know before about you. But that doesn't lower my opinion of you or make me afraid of you. You're my best friend. Werewolf or not. That's how it's always been, that's how it'll always be, okay?"

"Okay," Remus nodded, "Thanks. You're the best."

Ashley was sitting with Katrina, Shiloh, Mischa, and Lily in their dormitory on a rainy afternoon. On days like this, the girls would talk about their lives and boys and such. "So, after the Quidditch game the other day, I told Roman Vapshore he did a good job with the announcing. We talked for a while, and then he asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him on Friday," Katrina informed the group.

"Wow, that's great!" Mischa said excitedly.

"Yeah, I can't wait. I think he's so adorable," Katrina said dreamily.

"So, you and Landon are really done?" Shiloh questioned.

Katrina nodded, "It looks that way. I mean, he's with Mylene Cox now, isn't he? And I've got a date with Roman."

Landon Brisk was Katrina's previous boyfriend. He was a gorgeous seventh year hufflepuff, who Katrina was with for seven months. She broke up with him after they begun fighting so much that they didn't even want to look at each other anymore.

"So, you're over him?" Lily asked.

"Well, he may have a piece of me for a while, you know? Not forever, but for a while. I did love him, after all," Katrina replied.

"More than you loved Cody?" Ashley asked curiously. Cody Fuller was Katrina's first boyfriend, and her first love. They, too, went out for 7 months. Though, it was close to being eight.

"I don't know," Katrina said contemplatively, "They were so different. With Cody I always felt secure, I knew he would always be there no matter what, and I didn't have to worry. With Landon it was a risk. I never never what was going to happen next. Cody was more boyfriend-material, but there was always something about Landon."

"So, it was equal?" Shiloh asked.

"I think so," Katrina nodded, "What about you, Shiloh?"

"What about me?" Shiloh raised an eyebrow.

"Damon or Raphael?" Katrina asked. Damon Glass and Raphael Crescent were Shiloh's exes. Shiloh had had a crush on Damon since second year, and the two finally began dating in fourth year, but it only lasted about four months, because Damon wasn't ready for anything too serious at the time. Since then, he had become a notorious womanizer, up there with Sirius. Then, Shiloh dated Raphael for three months, but that came to an end after Raphael's family threatened to disown him for dating a blood-traitor.

"Definitely Damon," Shiloh said, barely giving it any thought at all, "I wasn't in love with Raphael. But I know I was in love with Damon. And he was my first and only."

"That was obvious," Katrina sniggered, "You were like a love-struck puppy."

Shiloh made a face, "Shut up. How about you, Meesch? Elick or Keith?"

Mischa thought for a moment and a smile crept upon her face, "Keith. He was a sweetheart, wasn't he?"

"Then why aren't you with him?" Lily questioned.

Mischa shrugged, "I wasn't really falling for him, you know? Same with Elick. But at least Keith was always wonderful. Elick could be an arse sometimes."

"I've never been in love," Ashley sighed, "You're so lucky to have had that twice, Katrina."

"Not really, because when it ends, it just hurts so much worse."

**what did you think? reviews are greatly appreciated **


	5. Update

**hey. i just wanted to let you guys know how sorry i am that i haven't been updating lately. i've had a lot going on at school, but i'm focusing a lot of energy lately on revising a bit of the story, in order to sort of merge it with another one i had been working on. **

**-Bri**


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